


Birthday Tradition

by ellebeedarling



Series: After All This Time [14]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Breakfast in Bed, Family, M/M, Shenko Smut Thursday, Shepard's Birthday, birthday blow job, not too explicit sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-11 21:59:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18432944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellebeedarling/pseuds/ellebeedarling
Summary: It's Shepard's birthday and his family wants to spoil him!





	Birthday Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the last Shenko Smut Thursday on Tumblr! :( 
> 
> This is unapologetically sappy and cheesy. I have no regrets.

Shepard could remember a time when birthdays were just another day. There was no one in his life who cared enough to celebrate it with him or do anything special for him. Those days were long gone, but more than a decade of being a family man and politician - rather than a street-thug or a soldier - hadn’t erased that sense of awe that came over him when Kaidan went out of his way to ensure that his birthday wasn’t just another X on the calendar. 

 

It had become a tradition, of sorts, to try and outdo one another in pulling off something grand or romantic, or just plain, fucking sexy. Kaidan always won by a landslide of course. Quiet and reflective Shepard may have been, but sometimes he was too focused on the bigger picture. And anyway, any morning John woke to Kaidan’s eager lips on his dick meant that all the points automatically went to his husband. 

 

He lay on the bed, quivering and panting, trying not to make too much noise so as to alert the kids to the fact that they were awake - or having sex. Teenagers tended to be quite vocal about their distaste for overhearing their parents’ lovemaking. 

 

“I wasn’t supposed to wake you,” Kaidan sheepishly admitted. “The kids wanted to make you breakfast in bed, but… I couldn’t resist.” 

 

John was unable to resist Kaidan’s bedhead, his plump, rosy lips, and those whiskey-colored eyes, and drew him close for a deep, lingering kiss. “I won’t tell,” he whispered as he rolled his lover onto his back. 

 

He left a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses down Kaidan’s neck and shoulder, over his pec, and down his stomach. Kaidan whimpered softly above him, choking out a desperate, “Wait!” just as John reached his prize. Kaidan leaned up on shaky elbows to look down at John who wore an expression of utter confusion. “The kids are going to be up any minute to cook you breakfast.” 

 

“You don’t want me to return the favor?”

 

Kaidan groaned. “More than anything,” he breathed. “But… It’s your birthday. Let us spoil you a little.” 

 

“You spoil me plenty. Besides, it  _ is _ my birthday, and I want to suck your dick.” Shepard gave his best shit-eating grin and ducked his head, peeking up at his husband just as he wrapped his lips around the tip of Kaidan’s dick. As suspected, Kaidan’s protest was short-lived, and John felt a small thrill of pride and pleasure at his ability to get his way much of the time. 

 

Shepard took his time, relishing the warm, velvety feel of Kaidan’s flesh on his tongue, the musky essence, the tangy flavor. He savored the noises his husband made when he was doing his best to be quiet. If Shepard were a cruel man, he’d work harder to draw those noises out, make it impossible for Kaidan to stay silent. As it was, he enjoyed his private symphony and cherished the way Kaidan fell apart beneath him. 

 

When Kaidan was spent and boneless, John crawled up next to him and tucked himself into his side. Days off were few and far between, but it was a family rule to make every effort to be together for birthdays and holidays.  Shepard pushed aside the thoughts of the mountains of work that would be awaiting him at the office tomorrow - fifteen years as the human councilor and their lives hadn’t slowed down one bit - and just enjoyed the sleepy satiety that always followed an orgasm. 

 

“I really should get up,” Kaidan murmured.

 

Shepard grunted and wrapped his arms more tightly around the man. “Later.” 

 

“You know they’ll be busting the door down in about five minutes if I’m not out there. Or worse, they’ll burn the kitchen down. Since Brinley joined the Alliance, I’m not quite ready to trust the rest of them in the kitchen alone.” 

 

John grumbled, but got out of bed and headed for the shower. They washed off quickly and he dutifully put on his pajamas and crawled back into bed as Kaidan went to help the kids “surprise” him with breakfast in bed. 

 

Once Kaidan was gone, Shepard settled himself against the headboard and flipped on the vid screen and found the news channels. He wasn't doing his job properly if there was anything surprising being reported, but he still wanted to see how the different news agencies decided to spin the various events happening around the galaxy. It helped him decide how his office should respond. No surprises this morning, but he wasn't thrilled with the way ANN was making the Cerberus threat seem larger than it was. He knew well and truly that the human supremacist organization had lost most of its bite. Spectre Vega and the Normandy's crew had ruthlessly hunted any cells that popped up, and thankfully his old friend, the Shadow Broker, informed him immediately whenever news of a new cell crossed her desk. Vega had already obliterated the particular cell in this morning's news report and was currently en route take care of another that no one but himself, Liara, and Normandy were aware of.

 

Pulling up his omni-tool, he called his assistant, Copeland. Ensign Copeland had asked to be reassigned when the Normandy had made it back to Earth after the war, wanting to make a difference planetside. Shepard had convinced the man to come work for him as his aide, knowing that he was capable, quick thinking, and organized, and more importantly, the two of them worked well together. Copeland had accepted on the spot and been with Shepard these last fifteen years. “Look into ANN's report on Cerberus,” he said by way of greeting when Copeland answered. “We'll need to respond without giving away our hand.”

 

“Sir, it's your day off,” Copeland said with a cheeky grin.

 

Shepard barked a laugh, “You know better than most that I never get a day off.”

 

“Admiral Shepard will have my ass if he catches me on the horn with you, sir. He already warned me not to let you work today.”

 

“What my husband doesn't know won't hurt him, Copeland,” Shepard said with a wink.

 

“Uh-huh... You're all talk, Shepard.”

 

“You think you know me so well.”

 

“We've worked together for a long time, sir. Happy birthday, by the way.”

 

“Thanks! You and Anita coming for dinner tonight?”

 

“Wouldn't miss it, sir.”

 

“Good! Bring the kids... and a statement for the press,” he added with a smirk.

 

Copeland shook his head with a laugh, “Yes sir.”

 

Noise outside his bedroom door drew his attention. “Gotta go. I'm supposed to be sleeping!” He cut the comm without waiting for Copeland's reply, flicked the vid screen off and threw himself down in the bed, pulling the covers up over his head. He knew Kaidan was making extra noise to give him time to get settled. That man knew him too well. Shepard made fake snoring noises when the door opened, and grinned under the blanket at his children's noisy whispering as they tried to quite each other.

 

“Ready,” Kaidan whispered loudly. “One... two... three!”

 

“Happy Birthday daddy!” his family shrieked, and he sat up quickly feigning just being woken from a deep sleep. Kaidan winked letting him know he'd played his part to perfection, and nine year old twins – Cam and Claire – jumped onto the bed, tackling him back onto the pillows.

 

“What's all this? Can't a daddy get some sleep on his birthday?”

 

“You weren't sleeping, dad,” Ash said with sarcasm. “We heard you on the comm.”

 

“I don't know what you're talking about Ashley-bear,” he said indignantly. “I was sound asleep until you hooligans came in here shouting and pouncing on me.”

 

The asari rolled her eyes, but smiled at her dad. Teenagers knew too much, he thought. Asari matured much more slowly than humans, for which he was infinitely grateful, but at fifteen years old, Ash seemed imbued with a wisdom beyond her years. Another trait gleaned from her mother no doubt. Liara had finally started taking part in Ashley's life, and the girl had handled the issue with a maturity that astounded all of them. John and Kaidan were her parents, she'd declared, and while she was happy to spend some time on Thessia once a year, she didn't view the asari as her mother – more like an aunt or a benevolent family friend. That arrangement worked perfectly fine for John and Kaidan, and even Liara seemed to be happy with the way things had turned out.

 

“Do I smell bacon?” John asked.

 

“I cooked the bacon, daddy,” Claire announced.

 

“You did? You're too little!”

 

“Daddy,” the girl said with sarcasm, “I'm nine years old. I'm not too little to cook.”

 

Shepard frowned, “What happened to my little angel that needed her daddy's help with everything, huh? You're getting too big!”

 

“I made the toast,” Cam said proudly.

 

“You didn't burn it did you?” Shepard asked with a smirk.

 

“No daddy! I did it just like you like it – light brown with lots of butter and honey.”

 

“Sounds perfect, Cam. I knew you could do it! High five!” The boy slapped palms with his dad. Kaidan set a tray of food across John's lap and leaned in for a kiss.

 

“I made the eggs,” Ash said.

 

“Thank you, honey. I know you can fix them just the way I like them. You guys spoil me way too much!” He took a sip of his coffee and looked around at the faces all staring at him expectantly. “Where's yours?”

 

“Downstairs,” Kaidan said.

 

“Well, go bring it up here. We can all eat breakfast in bed together.” The kids squealed and ran downstairs to get their plates of food.

 

“Bring mine,” Kaidan yelled after them. “We're going to have to wash the sheets now.”

 

“Probably need it after our activities this morning anyway,” John said with a wink.

 

“Yeah...” Kaidan sat beside him and settled himself so that their shoulders were touching.

 

“Who wants to watch Blasto?” John asked as the kids came back in, chuckling when four voices shouted, “Me!” They all settled under the covers with their plates on their laps to eat and watch the movie. John leaned over to steal a kiss from his husband. “Love you, babe.”

 

“Love you, too. Happy birthday!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! It was fun revisiting these guys and their family! 
> 
> I'm all over the place at the moment trying to find a new social media home since Tumblr keeps scrambling my blog. I have a Twitter (@ellebeedarling) and MeWee - Elle Bee - but the best place to find me, for now, is here on AO3. You can subscribe to me so that you'll get an email anytime I post something new, just in case you weren't aware of that feature. If/when I do find a place on the web I'd like to settle (leaning toward Pillowfort at the moment) I'll add the link to my fics so y'all can track me down! 
> 
> Much love,   
> Elle


End file.
